Revelation 14:7 “And he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of water.’”

Observation: John’s revelation had reached the point where an angel had been released having “an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people” (Rev. 14:6). What he preached was this: fear God and give Him glory because His judgment has come!

Application: What does it mean to fear God yet at the same time give Him glory? The Word says I am to give Him glory because judgment has come, so fear of God results in giving Him glory. But fearing an “hour of His judgment” and fearing Him are intimately connected. His judgment will fill me with awe as the mighty hand of God finally does its dividing work: sheep from goats, wheat from tares.

Those who love Him eagerly anticipate this hour in history; those who have lived in disobedience to Him also know it is coming and dread it. Unlike our modern court system with its arbitrary and often unpredictable outcomes, the eternal judge is perfectly fair. His judgments are righteous and true in a way that every person will recognize and agree with.

Fear, then, is the appropriate response to the coming hour of His judgment. But it won’t be the run-and-hide kind of fear; the time for that will have passed. Rather, He will fill me with awe that He is able to judge both the living and the dead. And I know that His judgment of every person who has ever lived will be perfect.

There will be no more blowing smoke when that day comes, no more murmuring or excuses. Psalm 130:3–4 (NIV) says, “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” There is unspeakable joy in this for the believer; indeed, He does not keep a record of my sins.

I am certain that I will find myself on my face before a holy God, but the fear-struck heart that puts me there will exult in the joy of knowing that I belong to this awesome, most powerful God and that I have absolutely nothing to fear! What a paradox! He sees my heart perfectly; He reads the transcript of my life, but knowing all, He will judge me as righteous because the blood of Christ covers me. What a fearsome thing!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, my acceptance of Your sacrifice has saved me and will deliver me through the hour of judgment. Not a church, not a belief system, but You, O Lord, have saved. I give You thanks and ask that You tenderize my heart today with countless remembrances of all You have done for me.